Score big savings on Amazon! It’s not just Prime Day (July 15-16, 2019). We’re talking about 20% off your Amazon purchase when you use American Express Membership Rewards points.

Plus, save even more with Amazon credits, and tips on how to double dip savings to get huge purchasing power with your dollars!

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Even though we’re minimalist we still have to buy things! So, when the time comes to make a purchase we’re always up for finding the best deal possible.

We look for a good sale and then we double or triple dip with additional savings opportunities:

• Cashback portals (Ebates, Mr. Rebates, TopCashback, BeFrugal)

• Coupon Codes or Promos (found at places like the cashback sites above)

• Credit card offers (Chase Offers, Amex Offers, Discover Cash Back, etc.)

• Gift cards we purchased at a discount

How to Save 20% on Amazon Purchases

This month seems to be a great month for deals! Not only is Prime Day coming up (July 15-16) but Amazon is doing an additional promo with American Express Membership Reward points.

The fine print:

• It’s a targeted offer. Click through the activation link to see if you qualify.

• The max discount is $50, meaning this is valid for a purchase of up to $250.

• A portion of your purchase must be made with American Express Membership Rewards points. This bullet item is key.

• The promotion will end on the earlier of (a) 11:59 PT on 07/16/2019, or (b) the time at which offers worth $5,000,000 have been redeemed.

• Offer does not apply to purchase of digital content.

• Offer only applies to products sold by Amazon.com.

Getting the Most Out of This Deal

Use Only One American Express Membership Rewards Point

The trick here is that only a portion of your purchase needs to be paid with American Express Membership Rewards points. Meaning, you can use one (yes, just one) American Express Membership Rewards point and pay the rest how you wish.

At checkout, in the field to purchase with points, put in the cash value of $0.01 to use only one point.

What to Purchase

If there’s nothing you currently need, take advantage of this offer by purchasing a gift card with a retailer you already shop at. Consider Starbucks, Whole Foods, Netflix, Uber, Southwest Airlines, Airbnb, etc. There’s no reason to pass up a 20% savings on your next Airbnb stay or Starbucks coffee.

We’ll either go for a gift card or two (we can’t turn down 20% savings at Airbnb!) or get something we’ve been considering purchasing for a while. Like the Samsung 970 EVO Plus drive to upgrade our laptops. It’s also a great time to upgrade gear that may need replacing.

Double Dip on Savings Anyone?

If you’re getting a gift card, keep in mind additional discounts you can get directly with the retailer as well. For example:

• Whole Foods gives discounts for Amazon Prime members.

• Starbucks rewards program gives you two stars for every dollar spent and 50 stars is a free coffee.

• First time Airbnb guests get a savings when you click through our referral link.

• Use Uber and earn $5 cash rewards when you ride or order Uber Eats!

Not Targeted for this Offer?

If you clicked through the activation link and found out you weren’t targeted for 20% off your Amazon purchase when you use American Express Membership Rewards points, there still might be hope.

Try removing all of your American Express Membership Rewards credit cards from your Amazon account. Then add them back and try the activation button again. It’s not guaranteed this will work but we’ve had success with this method in the past. Fingers crossed!

Amazon Prime Day

We wouldn’t feel right if we didn’t talk about Amazon Prime Day in this article!

Amazon Prime Day is Amazon’s big blow-out sale for the year. It’s often considered to be Amazon’s Black Friday. This year it runs Monday July 15th through July 16th. Huge discounts and deals are announced throughout the sale, some as often as every five minutes!

The caveat you ask? You must be an Amazon Prime member. If you’re not already, the good news is that you can sign up for a free trial. If you’re a student you can get a 6 month free trial with Prime Student!

Amazon Deals

Of course, we wouldn’t be satisfied with just telling you about Prime Day, we also want to make sure you take advantage of every deal you can with Amazon. Be sure to check Amazon’s Prime Day guide for additional credits and discounts.

• Like a $10 Amazon credit when you sign into the Amazon App and then an additional $10 credit after your first qualifying purchase.

• Or get $10 in Amazon credit when you load $100 to your Amazon gift card balance. Think of it like a 10% discount on your first $100 spent on Amazon!

• Or did you use the 20% Amazon and American Express Membership Rewards points deal above to get a $10 Whole Foods gift card for only $8? Perfect, because you can now use that gift card by July 16th to get a $10 Amazon credit to use on Prime Day. That’s literally $8 for $20 worth of purchasing power.

Prime Now

If you haven’t already experienced the ease and convenience of Prime Now, please let us (possibly) make your life easier. Prime Now delivers your items to you in just two hours!

New members can sign up with the promo code 15PRIMENOW and get $15 off their order of $35 dollars or more (pre-tax). Stack that with your Whole Foods Gift card you got for 20% off and you’ll trigger the $10 prime credit. Now you’re scoring an amazing grocery deal!

Save Even More with the Right Credit Card

Every purchase we make goes on a credit card. This is key because every card we have earns us either miles, points, or cashback.

Discover Card $10 Credit

Change your Amazon default payment method to a Discover card (and pay with that card) to get a $10 Amazon Credit!

Meet a Minimum Spend

If you’re working to meet a minimum spend for a credit card bonus, be sure to use that card at checkout. We’ll be spending on our Chase Southwest Business credit card to meet the minimum spend and get us on our way to earning the Southwest Companion Pass.

Best Points or Miles Card

If you’re not working towards a minimum spend requirement then be strategic about which card will be the best value for you.

The Credit Cards We Use and Recommend:

Hilton Ascend (American Express) - 150,000 Hilton Points when you spend $3,000 in the first three months. Easily worth the $95 annual fee.

Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant (American Express) - 100,000 Bonus Bonvoy points when you spend $5,000 in the first three months. Plus, no annual fee!

Blue Cash Everyday (American Express) - $200 Statement Credit when you spend $1,000 in the first three months.

Amex EveryDay (American Express) - 15,000 Membership Rewards Points when you spend $1,000 in the first three months. Plus, no annual fee!

Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus/Premier/Priority/Premier Business Visa (Chase) - 40,000-60,000 Southwest Rapid Rewards when you spend $1,000-$3,000 in the first three months. Well worth the $99-$149 annual fee, especially since you’ll receive between 3,000-7,500 bonus points every year on your anniversary date!

Discover Card (Discover) - $50 statement credit after your first purchase within 3 months.